1987
1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year that started on a Thursday, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. It was also the 1987th year of the Common Era, the 987th year of the 2nd millennium, the 87th year of the 20th century, and the 8th year of the 1980's.
Events
January
- January 1 – Frobisher Bay, Northwest Territories, changes its name to Iqaluit. In 1999, it becomes the capital of Nunavut.
- January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade.
- January 3 – Aretha Franklin becomes the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
- January 4 – 1987 Maryland train collision: An Amtrak train en route from Washington, D.C. to Boston, Massachusetts collides with Conrail engines at Chase, Maryland, killing 16.
- January 5 – U.S. President Ronald Reagan undergoes prostate surgery, causing speculation about his physical fitness to continue in office.
- January 8 – The Dow Jones Industrial Average closes above 2,000 for the first time, gaining 8.30 to close at 2,002.25.
- January 13 – New York mafiosi Anthony "Fat Tony" Salerno and Carmine Peruccia are sentenced to 100 years in prison for racketeering.
- January 16 – León Febres Cordero, president of Ecuador, is kidnapped by followers of imprisoned General Frank Vargas, who successfully demand the latter's release.
- January 20 – Terry Waite, the special envoy of the Archbishop of Canterbury in Lebanon, is kidnapped in Beirut (released November 1991).
- January 22 – Pennsylvania Treasurer Budd Dwyer shoots and kills himself with a revolver during a televised press conference after being found guilty on charges of bribery, fraud, conspiracy, and racketeering.
- January 29 – William J. Casey ends his term as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.
- January 31 – The last Ohrbach's department store closes in New York City after 64 years of operation.
February
March
- March 2 – American Motors Corporation is acquired by the Chrysler Corporation
- March 4 – U.S. President Ronald Reagan addresses the American people on the Iran-Contra Affair, acknowledging that his overtures to Iran had 'deteriorated' into an arms-for-hostages deal.
- March 6 – Zeebrugge Disaster: A cross-channel ferry capsizes outside the harbor off Zeebrugge, Belgium; 180 drown.
- March 9 – The Irish rock band U2 releases their studio album The Joshua Tree.
- March 18 – Woodstock of physics: The marathon session of the American Physical Society’s meeting features 51 presentations concerning the science of high-temperature superconductors.
- March 20 – AZT: Zidovudine (or, more commonly, Azidothymidine) is approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration for use in the treatment of HIV/AIDS.
- March 24 – Michael Eisner, CEO of The Walt Disney Company, and French Prime Minister and future President of France, Jacques Chirac, sign the agreement to construct the 4,800 acres (19 km2) Euro Disney Resort (now called Disneyland Paris) and to develop the Val d'Europe area of the new town Marne-la-Vallée in Paris, France.
April
May
June
- June 3 – Trade unionists in Vanuatu found the Vanuatu Labour Party.
- June 8 – The New Zealand Nuclear Free Zone, Disarmament, and Arms Control Act is passed, the first of its kind in the world.
- June 11 – The Conservative Party of the United Kingdom, led by Margaret Thatcher, is re-elected for a third term at the 1987 general election.
- June 12 – During a visit to Berlin, Germany, U.S. President Ronald Reagan challenges Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall.
- June 17 – With the death of the last individual, the Dusky Seaside Sparrow becomes extinct.
- June 19
- June 27 – A commercial HS 748 (Philippine Airlines Flight 206) crashes near Baguio City, Philippines, killing 50.
- June 28
- Iraqi warplanes dropped mustard gas bombs on the Iranian town of Sardasht in two separate bombing rounds, on four residential areas. This was the first time a civilian town was targeted by chemical weapons.
- An accidental explosion at Hohenfels Training Area in West Germany kills 3 U.S. troopers.
- June 29 – South Korean president Roh Tae-Woo makes a speech promising a wide program of nationwide reforms, the result of June Democracy Movement.
- June 30 – Canada introduces a one dollar coin, nicknamed the "Loonie".
July
August
- August 4
- August 7 – The Colombian frigate Caldas enters Venezuelan waters near the Los Monjes Archipelago, sparking the Caldas frigate crisis between both nations.
- August 9 – Hoddle Street Massacre: Julian Knight, 19, goes on a shooting rampage in Melbourne, killing seven people and injuring 19 before surrendering to police.
- August 14 – All the children held at Kia Lama, a rural property on Lake Eildon, Australia, run by the Santiniketan Park Association, are released after a police raid.
- Aéropostale first Aeropostale clothing store opened in New York City, New York which is a mall-based, specialty retailer of casual apparel and accessories.
- August 16
- August 17 – Rudolf Hess is found dead in his cell in Spandau Prison. Hess, 93, is believed to have committed suicide by hanging himself with an electrical flex. He was the last remaining prisoner at the complex, which is soon demolished.
- August 19
- ABC News' chief Middle East correspondent Charles Glass escapes his Hezbollah kidnappers in Beirut, Lebanon, after 62 days in captivity.
- Order of the Garter is opened to women.
- August 31 – Michael Jackson releases his hit album Bad.
September
October
November
December
Date unknown
In fiction
The following are references to year 1987 in fiction:
- Music:
- Film:
- Television:
- Computer/video games:
Births
January
- January 1
- January 2
- January 5 – Kristin Cavallari, American reality television star
- January 6 – Zhang Lin, Chinese swimmer
- January 7 – Lyndsy Fonseca, American actress
- January 8 – Freddie Stroma, English actor
- January 9 – Lucas Leiva, Brazilian football player
- January 10 – César Cielo, Brazilian swimmer
- January 12 – Naya Rivera, American actress
- January 13 – Jack Johnson (ice hockey), American hockey player
- January 15
- January 16 – Jake Epstein, Canadian actor
- January 24 – Luis Suarez, Uruguayan football player
- January 26 – Sebastian Giovinco, Italian football player
- January 27
- January 30 – Arda Turan, Turkish footballer
February
March
- March 1 – Kesha, American singer
- March 4 – Tamzin Merchant, English actress
- March 5 – Anna Chakvetadze, Russian professional tennis player
- March 6
- March 7 – Hatem Ben Arfa, Tunisian-French footballer
- March 9 – Bow Wow, American rapper
- March 12
- March 13 – Marco Andretti, IRL driver
- March 14 – Aravane Rezaï, Iranian-French tennis player
- March 17 – Robert Kardashian Jr., American television personality, model, and talent manager
- March 19 – Josie Loren, American actress.
- March 20
- March 23 – Alan Toovey, Australian Rules Football Premiership player
- March 25 – Nobunari Oda, Japanese figure skater
- March 26 – YUI, Japanese singer-songwriter
April
- April 1 – Ding Junhui, Chinese snooker player
- April 3 – Park Jung Min, Korean singer, member of SS501
- April 4 – Sarah Gadon, Canadian actress
- April 8 – Royston Drenthe, Real Madrid footballer
- April 9
- April 10
- April 11
- April 12
- April 16 – Aaron Lennon, English footballer
- April 18 – Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, English supermodel
- April 19
- April 20 – John Patrick Amedori, American actor and musician
- April 22 – Mikel John Obi, Nigerian footballer
- April 27
- April 28 – Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Indian film actress and model
- April 29 – Alicia Morton, American actress and singer
May
June
- June 2 – Sonakshi Sinha, Indian Actress
- June 3
- June 4 – Mollie King, British singer
- June 9 – Rheagan Wallace, American actress
- June 11 – Dappy, English Rapper
- June 16
- June 17 – Nozomi Tsuji, Japanese singer
- June 20 – Daiana Menezes, Brazilian actress, model, and television host
- June 22 – Lee Min Ho, South Korean actor and model
- June 24 – Lionel Messi, Argentine football player
- June 26 – Samir Nasri, French footballer
- June 27 – Ed Westwick, English actor
July
- July 2 – Ruslana Korshunova, Kazakhstani model (d. 2008)
- July 3 – Sebastian Vettel, German racing driver
- July 6
- July 7 – Julianna Guill, American actress
- July 12
- July 16 – AnnaLynne McCord, American actress
- July 17 – Jeremih, American recording artist and producer
- July 24 – Mara Wilson, American actress
- July 25 – Michael Welch, American actor
- July 27 – Marek Hamsik, Slovakian football player
- July 28
- July 29 – Dyana Liu, American actress
- July 31 – Michael Bradley, American soccer player
August
- August 2 – Jessie Daniels, American actress, songwriter, and Christian musician
- August 3 – Kim Hyung Jun, South Korean singer, DJ (SS501)
- August 4 – Philip Younghusband, British-Filipino footballer
- August 5 – Genelia D'Souza, Indian actress, model, and host
- August 6
- August 7 – Sidney Crosby, Canadian hockey player
- August 8 – Katie Leung, Scottish actress
- August 14 – James Buckley, English actor
- August 18 – Mika Boorem, American actress
- August 19 – Nico Hülkenberg, German racing driver
- August 20 – Cătălina Ponor, Romanian gymnast
- August 21
- August 25
September
October
November
- November 3
- November 4
- November 5 – Kevin Jonas, American singer/songwriter
- November 6 – Ana Ivanović, Serbian tennis player
- November 8 – Samantha Droke, American actress
- November 11 – Yuya Tegoshi, Japanese singer (NEWS, Tegomass)
- November 17 – Kat DeLuna, American singer
- November 18 – Jake Abel, American Actor
- November 23 – Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi, American television personality
- November 24 – Elena Satine, American film actress and singer
- November 25 – Dolla, American Rapper (d. 2009)
- November 28 – Karen Gillan, Scottish actress
- November 30
December
- December 3
- December 4 – Orlando Brown, American actor, singer, and comedian
- December 7 – Aaron Carter, American singer and actor
- December 8 – Susanne Riesch, German alpine skier
- December 10 – Gonzalo Higuain, Real Madrid footballer
- December 12
- December 18
- December 19 – Karim Benzema, French footballer
- December 20
- December 21 – Valerie Concepcion, Filipina actress
- December 28 – Thomas Dekker, American actor
- December 30 – Jake Cuenca, Spanish-Filipino actor and model
- December 31
Deaths
January
February
- February 2 – Alistair MacLean, British writer (heart attack) (b. 1922)
- February 3 – Donald Aronow, Creator of the Cigarette Boat (Assassinated) (b. 1927)
- February 4 – Liberace, American pianist (b. 1919)
- February 5 – William Collier, American actor (b. 1902)
- February 10 – Robert O'Brien, racing driver (b. 1908)
- February 14 – Dmitry Kabalevsky, Russian composer (b. 1904)
- February 20 – Lev Russov, Russian painter (b. 1926)
- February 22
- February 24 – Jim Connors, American radio personality (b. 1940)
- February 25
- February 27 – Joan Greenwood, English actress (b. 1921)
- February 28 – Stephen Tennant, British aristocrat and playboy (b. 1906)
March
April
May
- May 3 – Dalida, French singer (b. 1933)
- May 4
- May 6 – William J. Casey, American Central Intelligence Agency director (b. 1913)
- May 7 – Colin Blakely, Irish actor (b. 1930)
- May 14 – Rita Hayworth, American actress (b. 1918)
- May 17 – Gunnar Myrdal, Swedish economist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1898)
- May 19 – James Tiptree, Jr, American author (b. 1915)
- May 21 – Alejandro Rey, Argentine actor (b. 1930)
- May 24 – Hermione Gingold, English actress (b. 1897)
- May 27 – John Howard Northrop, American chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1891)
June
July
August
September
- September 3 – Rusty Wescoatt, American actor (b. 1911)
- September 4
- September 11
- September 12 – John Qualen, Canadian actor (b. 1899)
- September 13 – Mervyn LeRoy, American film producer and director (b. 1900)
- September 16 – Howard Moss, American poet, dramatist, and critic (b. 1922)
- September 17 – Harry Locke, British character actor (b. 1913)
- September 19 – Einar Henry Gerhardsen, former Prime Minister of Norway (b. 1897)
- September 21 – Jaco Pastorius, American bassist (b. 1951)
- September 22
- September 23 – Bob Fosse, American theater choreographer and director (b. 1927)
- September 25
- September 29 – Henry Ford II, president of Ford Motor Company (b. 1917)
- September 30 – Herbert Sobel, US Army officer, made famous by Band of Brothers (b. 1912)
October
November
December
- December 1 – Punch Imlach, Canadian NHL coach (b. 1918)
- December 2
- December 4 – Rouben Mamoulian, Armenian-American film director (b. 1898)
- December 10 – Jascha Heifetz, Lithuanian-born violinist (b. 1901)
- December 17 – Linda Wong, porn star (b. 1951)
- December 21
- December 22 – Alice Terry, American actress (b. 1899)
- December 24 – Joop den Uyl, Dutch politician, Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 1973 until 1977 (b. 1919)
- December 25 – Ruf Bonner, Soviet Jewish exilee (b. 1900)
- December 27 – Priscilla Dean, American actress (b. 1896)
- December 29 – Patrick Bissell, American dancer (b. 1957)
Nobel Prizes
Right Livelihood Award
Templeton Prize
References